WITH POLL: AAA survey shows shift in views on self-driving cars

Wednesday

Jan 24, 2018 at 9:39 AMJan 24, 2018 at 3:19 PM

A year ago, almost 8 in 10 U.S. drivers reported feeling afraid to ride in a fully self-driving vehicle. Today, a new survey from AAA finds that compared to last year, 20 million additional drivers would trust a self-driving vehicle to take them for a ride – including drivers in the Boston area, the site of an ongoing autonomous vehicle pilot program.

The annual survey from AAA reveals that 63 percent of drivers still feel afraid of self-driving cars, a significant decrease from 78 percent in early 2017. Millennial and male drivers are the most trusting of autonomous technologies.

"In Boston, autonomous vehicles are being tested for use during harsh and inclement weather, and motorists across the country are starting to feel more comfortable with the idea of self-driving vehicles,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast Director of Public and Legislative Affairs. “But to ensure that drivers continue to be informed, prepared and comfortable with this shift in mobility, AAA is urging automakers to prioritize consumer education.”

While riding in a fully self-driving vehicle is a futuristic concept for most, testing of these vehicles in the United States means that sharing the road with an automated vehicle is an increasing near-term possibility. To help educate consumers on the effectiveness of emerging vehicle technologies, AAA is committed to the ongoing, unbiased testing of automated vehicle technologies, including previous work on automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, self-parking technology, and lane keeping systems.

“It’s more important than ever to read your vehicle owner’s manual, ask your dealer, or learn as much as you can about your car’s active safety features,” Ms. Maguire said. “Safety technology is appealing to new car buyers, but the true capability of systems should be clearly understood before integrating them into your driving.”

While fears about self-driving vehicles are still present but easing, U.S. drivers report high confidence in their own driving abilities. Despite the fact that more than 90 percent of crashes involve human error, three quarters (73 percent) of U.S. drivers consider themselves better-than-average drivers. Men in particular are confident in their driving skills, with 8 in 10 considering those skills better than average.

Additional survey results include:

Women are more likely than men to fear riding in a self-driving vehicle, and more likely to feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving car.
Millennials are the most trusting of self-driving vehicles.
Baby boomers and Generation X drivers feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving car.

The survey of over 1,000 adults was conducted in December.

AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 65 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 5.2 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.